• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 8, 2008

Lest there be any doubt that the Obama campaign saw the power in email marketing early in the campaign, its chief of online fundraising, Stephen Geer, said efforts began months before the Iowa caucus.

The goal was to build an email list in all 50 states, and tactics used to get people to join included gathering names at events (particularly easy when Obama was appearing), online advertising and offering incentives such as bumper stickers in exchange for providing an address.

Emails steered people to MyBarackObama.com, where they could obtain information about how to host events of their own.

An ethic throughout the campaign, Geer said, was "empowering folks" to get involved at the grassroots level.